Can.



No. 715,!63. Patented Dec. 2, I902 L. c. SHARP.

CAN.

(Application filed Jan. 7, 1902A (No Model.)

il/ v WITNESSES: /NVENTbfi MWFfieM w' I N-lTED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ LEE 0. SHARP, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,163, dated lDecember 1902- Application filed January 7,1902. Serial No. 83,776- (llo model) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEE 0. SHARP, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nobraska, have invented a new and Improved Can, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a can struck or drawn up of two sections of sheet metal, the sections being of approximately equal depth and being joined together at the middle of the can, the joint or seam comprising a tearing-strip which when torn away permits the separation of the can into two sections. Such a can has been patented by William Rubin, dated November 26, 1901, No. ($87,654:; but the can disclosed in said patent is possessed of serious disadvantages, in that it involves great difficulty, uncertainty, and waste of showing the parts joined; and Fig. 2 isa sectional view showing the parts of the can separated.

a indicates the bottom section, and b the top section, of the can. These sections are struck or drawn up from integral plates of tin 'or other sheet metal from which they maybe constructed. The bottom section a is formed with an inward swage c, producing an annular sealing-lip c. This annular sealingstrip 0' sets inside of the top section b of the can and is secured thereto to form a hermetic connection by solder, which is permited to work in between the strip 0' and adjacent parts of the top b. The lower edge of the section I) is trimmed off in true annular form or square, and formed inside of this section is an annular indentation or score d, which lies in true parallelism with the lower edge of the section b. This score weakens the.

ingstrip c, and when the can I is torn away around this score it is obvious that the two parts of the can will be separated. Formed in the lower edge of the section b of the can is a out 6, running entirely through the thickness of the metal and passing first upward ,from the lower edge and thence turning and extending at an inclination toward the score d. The out e does not, however, extend to the score. It extends to approximately midway I the distance between the score d and the lower edge of the top part or section b. This forms a lip, and when the can-sections are sealed together solder is not applied to this lip, but the lip is left free, so that it may be bent up and a key engaged therewith. As the lip is torn outward the unbroken body of metal between the out o and the score cl will be forcibly broken through and then the tearing will continue along the score ol completely around the can, thus pullingoff the strip of metal between the score d and the lower edge of the section Z) an separating the two parts of the can.

It will be observed that since the cut e does not extend to the score 61 it leaves a solid body of metal below the score, which metal lies outside of the sealing-strip o, and which when sealed to the strip 0 forms a hermetic unbroken connection between the two parts of the can. Owing, however, to the slant or diagonal disposition of the out 6, when pressure is applied to the lip formed by said out the solid body of tin between the out and score will be torn away, and this tear will follow the trend of the out o and almost immediately enter the score cl.

f indicates the cover of the can, which is adapted to be soldered in place as usual, and this cover is formed with an indent or cavity g, which is located centrally inthe top of the can, and immediately in line with this indent g is a similar indent 7?; in the bottom of the can. These indents are adapted to be engaged by the fingers of the person opening the can, so that the can may be readily held and allowed to turn in the hand while the strip between the score 01 and the lower edge of the can-section b is being torn off. It will be understood that this strip is unwound, so to speak, from the can, and as the strip is pulled out it causes a rotary movement of the can. The cavities g and h enable the can to be conveniently and securely held and allow this rotary movement, which renders very easy the work of opening the can.

At the top and bottom edges of the can annular outwardly extending beads t' are formed. These beads serve the double purpose of strengthening the can and of protecting the label. The label is placed around the can between the beads 11, and therefore when the can is placed on its side it bears on the beads and the label is not injured. Further, these heads 71 cause the can to appear large and to make what is known in the trade as a better shelf appearance. These beads stand at an angle to the sides of the can and assist in guiding the label into place during the work of pasting it on the can.

By forming the inward swage c and the sealing-strip c, which sets inside of the can, the outer surface presents only a single annular seam, which does not destroy the unvaryingly uniform diameter of the can, but, on the contrary, makes its diameter uniform between the beads t'. This enables the label to be placed snugly on the can and no enlargement is presented. I-Ieretofore in form ing a starting-tongue for tearing away the opening-strip ofcans of the key-opener class the starter or tongue has been stamped up from the stock and projects beyond the edge of the blank and also beyond the edge of the section of the can on which the tongue is carried. This is illustrated in the patent to Rubin mentioned hereinbefore and in numerous other patents. (See, for example, the patent to James Gould, Jr., granted January 5, 1897, No. 574,730.) This arrangement is not only very wasteful of the tin stock, but it also is extremely difficult to form, since in a large percentage of instances when the blank is struck up the projecting tongue is torn away. My invention overcomes this difficulty by the peculiar manner in which the cut 6 is made. The top section b is drawn up from an integral circular piece of stock with no projection from its edges. It is then trimmed to form the true annular lower edge of the top section, and finally the cut 6 is produced in the body of the can-section upward from the lower edge thereof. This cut does not run to the score-line, but, as before eX- plained, runs approximately half-way thereto, thus leaving an area of unbroken metal, which insures a tight seam. It will be observed that this arrangement not only saves a great deal of stock, but it also makes the can much easier of construction, since it does not involve the difficulties of bending up the blank with the projecting lip thereon and the liability of tearing this lip away in the drawing or stamping process.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent 7 v j v V v v 1. A can formed in two sections joined together at approximately the middle, the one section having an inward swage producing thereon at the edge of the section an inset sealing-strip fitting snugly within the second section, whereby to join the two together without disturbing the unvaryingly-uniform diameter of the can at the joint or seam, thus permitting the label to lie snugly around the can, and the. said second section having a portion adapted-to be torn away to open the can, such portion lying outside of the sealingstrip of the first section, the can. also having beads at its top and bottom edges, the beads projecting out beyond the sides of the can and being adapted tohave the label placed between them, whereby the label is protected from abrasion when the can lies on its side.

2. A can provided intermediate its ends with a portion extending around the can and adapted to be torn away to open the can, the can also having centrally-located indentations in its top and bottom, for the purpose specified.

3. A can comprising sections-joined together, the one section having at its inner end an inward swage producing thereon at such end of the section an inset sealing-strip fitting snugly within the second section whereby to join the two together without disturbing the unvaryingly-uniform diameter of the can at the joint or seam, thus permitting the label to lie snugly around the can, and the said second section having an annular score or weakened line extending adjacent to the edge which is joined to the first section, whereby to form a tearing-strip lying outside of the sealing-strip, and adapted to be'torn away to open the can, the second section also having a circumferentially-directed starting tongue formed by'a cut extending from the inner edge of the second section toward but terminating short of the score or weakened line, whereby an unbroken body of material is left between the score and the cut of the starting-tongue, to permit sealing the can.

4. A can, comprising sections joined to= gether, the one section having at its inner end an inward swage producing thereon at such end of the section an inset sealing-strip fitting snugly within the second section, whereby to join the two together without disturb-' ing the unvaryingly-uniform diameter of the can at the joint or seam, thus permitting the label to lie snugly around the can, and the second section having an annular score or weakened line extending adjacent to the edge 5. A can, comprising sections joined tothe score or weakened line, whereby to leave gether by fitting the inner end of one section an unbroken body of material between the into the inner end of the other section, said score and the out of the starting-tongue, to 15 other or outer section having an annular permit sealing the can.

5 scoreor weakened line extending adjacent to In testimony whereof I have signed my its inner edge, whereby to form a tearingname to this specification in the presence of sttxrip adapted to be torn away to open the can, two subscribing witnesses. t e second section also having a ciroumferentially-directed starting-tongue in the said LEE SHARP' 1o tearing-strip, said tongue being formed by a Witnesses:

cut extending from the inner edge of the sec- I. B. OWENS, end section toward but terminating short of JNO. M. BITTER. 

